Brescia striker Mario Balotelli was the subject of a racist remark made by club president Massimo Cellino on Monday.
The former Man City and Liverpool forward joined hometown club Brescia this summer, but has struggled for form and was dropped for this weekend’s clash with Roma after a dispute with coach Fabio Grosso.
Cellino, who previously owned Leeds United, was asked about the 29-year-old’s problems prior to a league meeting, and said: "He's black, what can I say, he's working on clearing himself but he's having a lot of difficulty."
Brescia later attempted to downplay Cellino's comment, saying in a statement that it was merely "a quip" that was "clearly misunderstood." The club added that Cellino was "attempting to downplay the excessive media coverage by protecting (Balotelli)."
The incident comes less than a month after Balotelli was targeted by racist chanting during a league fixture against Hellas Verona, which prompted the Italian to pick up the ball and kick it into the stands, while the match was suspended for several minutes.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
